10 Commandments of Case Analysis

To be observed in written reports and oral presentations, and while participating in class discussions.

1. Go through the case twice or thrice, once for a quick overview and once to gain full command of the facts; then take care to explore the information in every one of the case exhibits.

2. Make a complete list of the problems and issues that the company’s management needs to address.

3. Be thorough in your analysis of the company’s situation. Make a minimum of two pages of notes detailing your diagnosis. Identify priority list of issues.

4. Use every opportunity to apply the concepts and analytical tools in the theory.

5. Do enough number crunching to discover the story told by the data presented in the case. Do enough probing of a company’s financial condition and financial performance.

6. Support any and all opinions with well-reasoned arguments and numerical evidence; don’t stop until you can purge “I think” and “I feel” from your assessment and instead are able to rely completely on “My analysis shows.”

7. Prioritize your recommendations and make sure they can be carried out in an acceptable time frame with the available resources.

8. Support each recommendation with persuasive argument and reasons as to why it makes sense and should result in improved company performance.

9. Review your recommended action plan to see if it addresses all of the problems and issues you identified—any set of recommendations that does not address all of the issues and problems you identified is incomplete and insufficient.

10. Avoid recommending any course of action that could have disastrous consequences if it doesn’t work out as planned; therefore, be as alert to the downside risks of your recommendations as you are to their upside potential and appeal.